Tree pruning in South Dakota is a professional service that can beautify and reinforce your trees so they can withstand insects, diseases and severe weather – and look good while doing it!
Pruning should be done if you want a healthy tree, but it must be done carefully by someone who has experience in what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from SD Tree Trimming. You may be able to prune trees safely while they are still small and developing, but you also may be doing permanent harm to the tree in the process.
To correctly prune trees, you must know all of the following:
- When is the best time to prune your species of trees
- How much of the tree should be pruned at a time
- Where to cut the branches so you do not damage the tree
Cutting too much from a tree can kill it or cause structural damage, but conservative trimming done every year benefits trees in many ways. Pruning improves the appearance of trees, makes them healthier, eliminates dying or diseased branches and assists in fruit or flower production.
For the best results, pruning needs to be completed every year, but as trees get older, you may be able to go two years between major pruning services. Regardless of how regularly you have your trees trimmed, make sure your arborist is qualified to perform the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be a problem if you call SD Tree Trimming in South Dakota!
Types of Tree Pruning Methods
There are 7 different ways to properly trim a tree so that it grows stronger and healthier every year.
Depending on the size, type and health concerns of your trees, one method could be more effective than another, but each technique has distinct benefits.
Crown Thinning Your Trees
Crown thinning is common for older, overgrown trees in South Dakota. This technique removes weak branches within the crown of the tree to improve light and air flow within the crown. Air flow is important to help prevent disease.
This tree pruning method also eliminates branches and limbs that are touching so they do not rub up against each other and snap or cause weakened areas that can be an access point for insects and pests. Limbs that grow at strange angles are typically cut off during crown thinning.
Crown Raising Your Trees
This tree pruning technique only removes branches and limbs at the lower part of the crown so limbs start higher up on the trunk of the tree. Allowing low branches to get too large makes them hard to cut off, and they can pull nutrients away from the top of the tree, resulting in less fruit and a weak tree.
There are several reasons you may want to raise the crown of a tree. Often, it is done to clear the line of sight for automobiles and pedestrians, but it can be done to free up space for landscaping under the tree.
It is a common method for large trees that are close to homes and other buildings.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction reduces the total size of the tree’s crown from its outer edges. It shortens branches horizontally and vertically to keep the tree at a certain size. By reducing the crown size, you can eliminate the need to cut the tree down because it will no longer interfere with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.
Even when the tree isn’t close to structures like those listed above, crown reduction will help the tree look neater because it also eliminates irregular growth. This is a smart solution for trees that are different ages but are supposed to look uniform.
Crown Cleaning
Often known as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive type of pruning method that removes dying, snapped or diseased branches so that the remaining sections of the tree will continue to grow normally. These limbs can only create issues later.
Crown cleaning makes the tree look much better, and it prevents branches from rubbing together. And it is a safety practice that reduces the chance of falling branches, because healthy branches do not fall very often.
Crown Restoration
Crown restoration is an intense trimming method used on trees that were severely damaged (either by pests or weather). It must only be performed by an experienced arborist who knows how the tree is likely to grow in the future and roughly how long it’s restoration will take.
Unlike other tree trimming services, crown restoration occurs over an extended period of time with conservative pruning that reshapes the tree. An arborist will have a plan to restore the tree, but also be flexible as the tree begins to grow and reshape on its own, adapting to the tree’s new growth.
Vista Pruning
If you are striving for trees to add to the beauty of your landscaping, you are actually interested in vista pruning. The goal of vista pruning is to make the tree more visually pleasing from a particular viewing point.
It consists of many tree trimming techniques including crown thinning, crown reduction and crown cleaning – any technique that helps the trees look more attractive. Remember, though, that an arborist is not going to jeopardize the health of a tree, so the focus of vista pruning is still to create strong, healthy trees.
Espalier Pruning
Espaliered trees are pruned heavily to grow flat up against walls or a trellis. It is a different style of pruning that will attract a lot of attention to your yard. Espalier pruning must begin when the tree is young and then done consistently throughout the tree’s life span.
Benefits of espalier pruning include facilitating maximum sunlight to reach the trees, as well as making it easier to produce fruit.
Professional Tree Pruning in South Dakota
Tree trimming can be dangerous for a tree, your lawn, and, of course, for you! SD Tree Trimming highly encourages professional tree trimming over DIY.
Aside from the dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of damage to a tree if you don’t know how to trim it correctly. Over-pruning is one of the most typical errors made by homeowners trimming their own trees.
Trees in South Dakota that get annual care from a professional are usually much better off, and hiring a certified arborist from SD Tree Trimming to trim the trees on your property is a choice you won’t regret. Locate your town in our service area. We work with arborists throughout the entire state of South Dakota!
